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Missouri Republicans call Mo. Gov. "Air Jay" in radio spot

Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon during his 2011 State of the State address.
(UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon during his 2011 State of the State address.

Missouri's Republican State Committee is taking aim at Governor Jay Nixon already.

There's no Republican candidate yet in the 2012 race for Missouri governor.

But the GOP committee is already running a radio spot that lambasts the Democratic governor's air travel expenses, referring to him as "Air Jay".

Nixon has come under fire for billing state agencies $400,000 over two years for his air travel around the state.

State auditor Tom Schwiech, a Republican, has said he will review Nixon's travel practices as part of a scheduled audit.

In a statement Nixon's campaign spokesman Jack Cardetti said it's puzzling that the GOP would criticize the governor for traveling the state to listen to his constituents.

Maria is the newscast, business and education editor for St. Louis Public Radio.